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LaTroy Hawkins
LaTroy Hawkins (born December 21, 1972 in Gary, Indiana) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. Professional career Minnesota Twins Hawkins was drafted straight out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in the amateur draft, and spent the next four years in the Twins' minor league system. His major league debut early in the season was a disastrous start against the Baltimore Orioles, where he gave up seven earned runs in only an inning and two thirds of work. Hawkins bounced between the big league club and Salt Lake of the PCL over the next few years, finally landing in the Twins' bullpen permanently in . He was also the opposing starting pitcher during the perfect game by Yankees pitcher David Wells on May 17, 1998. Sporting a mid-90s fastball, Hawkins was used by the Twins as their closer during the and seasons, but eventually lost the job to Eddie Guardado. In the set-up role, Hawkins drew the attention of the league when he posted a 2.13 ERA in . He fared even better in , when his ERA dropped to 1.86 and he struck out 75 batters in just 77 and 1/3 innings. Hawkins became a free agent after the 2003 season. Chicago Cubs Hawkins drew interest from a number of teams before signing a three-year, $11 million deal with the Chicago Cubs after the 2003 season. Hawkins was signed by the Cubs to pitch the 8th inning to set up for Joe Borowski, but Borowski went down with an injury early in the season, and Hawkins took over closing duties. On September 11, Hawkins struck out the side on only nine pitches in a game against the Florida Marlins. Despite a better-than-average ERA of 2.63 on the year and 25 saves, Hawkins blew 9 saves on the year, including two during a late-September skid that cost the Cubs the wild card. These blown saves earned him the ire of Cubs fans, who made a habit of booing him loudly at Wrigley Field when he came on in relief. The booing got louder when LaTroy decided to criticize the fans. His comments eventually drove him out of town. San Francisco Giants On May 28, the Cubs traded Hawkins to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitchers Jerome Williams and David Aardsma. Upon arrival in San Francisco, Hawkins was initially converted back into a set-up role, with the team cautiously optimistic about a return to form. However, Hawkins only showed brief flashes of his previous ability en route to a league-average performance for the Giants. Baltimore Orioles Following the 2005 season, Hawkins was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for left-handed reliever Steve Kline. He spent one season with the Orioles and became a free agent after the season. Colorado Rockies On December 5, , Hawkins signed a one-year, $3.25 contract with the Colorado Rockies. On July 8, , Hawkins was the only Colorado player to help the groundskeepers and the entire Philadelphia ballclub with the tarp during a heavy storm in Denver. Despite pitching in the hitter-friendly Coors Field, he posted a 3.42 ERA in 62 appearances, including a scoreless 7th inning in the wild card playoff against San Diego. Hawkins gave up only one run and two hits in five innings of post-season work for the National League champions. New York Yankees On December 9, 2007, Hawkins signed a one-year contract with the New York Yankees, reportedly worth $3.75 million. He became the first player since outfielder Paul O'Neill to wear the jersey number 21 for the Yankees. However, after returning from a road trip on April 16, he changed his number to 22 in response to the fans' booing, yelling, and calling O'Neill's name when he took the field. Yanks reliever Hawkins bows to fans' wishes, will switch to No. 22 Hawkins was suspended three games for throwing a head-high pitch to Baltimore Orioles left fielder Luke Scott on May 21. He was fined an undisclosed amount. Yankees' Hawkins suspended for high pitch in loss to O's Hawkins was designated for assignment on July 26. Houston Astros On July 30, 2008 the Houston Astros acquired Hawkins from the Yankees for minor leaguer Matt Cusick.http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3511876&name=mlb_trade_deadline Hawkins was an integral part of the Astros' late-season playoff run, pitching 21 innings out of the bullpen and allowing just one earned run over that span (good for a 0.43 ERA). Hawkins signed a 1 year deal with the Astros to return for the season.Hawkins coming back to Houston Milwaukee Brewers On December 16, 2009, Hawkins signed a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers for 2 years and $7.5 million. http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/baseball/story/1385415.html See also *List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders References External links Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Minnesota Twins players Category:Chicago Cubs players Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:Baltimore Orioles players Category:Colorado Rockies players Category:New York Yankees players Category:Houston Astros players Category:Milwaukee Brewers players Category:Major League Baseball players from Indiana Category:African American baseball players Category:People from Gary, Indiana Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Gulf Coast Twins players Category:Elizabethton Twins players Category:Fort Wayne Wizards players Category:Fort Myers Miracle players Category:Nashville Xpress players Category:Salt Lake Buzz players Category:Fresno Grizzlies players Category:Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Category:Relief Pitchers Category:Players